Hammerfall: Tarsonis Retreat

Life had gone differently than Licah expected, wildly different than every future he had ever imagined growing up, full of far more sadness than he thought possible, but also more joy. He'd never known until the best moments of his life what it meant to truly live and love his comrades, friends, and family. He'd seen his best friends disappear inevitably over time as war claimed its treasure. He hardly knew why battle had spared him from thousands of potential deaths, only that he still lived and fought on against all possible odds, somehow surviving each time, hoping that he wouldn't have to feel the worry again of losing everything, and then finding himself in the middle of the worst of it from an indescribable sense of eternal duty.

It looked like the worst of it right now, possibly even the worst ever. A chain of unthinkable events had led to Licah's taking over leadership of Republic Shield, and right in the middle of an implacable assault by the most prepared enemy the RS had ever seen. The enemy had spent months, no, years, testing the defenses of the RS's territory, carefully devising a strategy to completely destroy the RS and clear the way for their Rimma Trade Route strike and takeover. Worse, the New Republic and the galaxy's population had so much else on their minds that they had left the Rimma route relatively undefended, certainly not prepared to deal with a strike force like the enemy's. The RS had so successfully defended this route to the Core in the past that every station along its path had gotten used to running drills instead of actual battles, and Licah knew they would fall. He knew that he had to do something to stop Titan—or in less than a year, the whole Galaxy would fall and in a hundred years, or ten thousand, an alert historian would find him accountable for the downfall of trillions of beings' freedom. Why he knew this, he couldn't say, but what seemed like a million battles had given him incredibly acute instincts, and he trusted them beyond anything else.

His instincts said to change plans now. They said he needed to take action, to not let this war run its course, that its course would lead to utter ruin and disintegration, and that he had to take this fight to the enemy in a way it hadn't yet imagined. He had to create a new war for which nobody on the other side had planned, maybe nobody on his side either until a few moments earlier, and figure out a way to keep everyone guessing until the RS emerged still healthy and strong despite all of the forces arrayed against it.

Here goes, Licah thought. He had almost gotten dishonorably discharged from the RS multiple times for his unorthodox approach to most situations, but someone turned up each time who understood his motivations and methods, and he had succeeded when everyone expected him to fall. Time to see if that would happen again. He didn't see another way.

—

Licah showed up at the command center, in itself a notable occasion, given his seemingly sporadic appearances in charge. The officers, used to the former FC Cyrel Vandroth making regular and very frequent appearances, generally treated Licah with an annoyed air. He felt this far more than they realized, but couldn't spare the time to work with them to resolve the issue, given the current situation. He had to give his orders to turn this in a direction that he thought best—and perhaps no one else would . . . yet. Raising his voice to overcome the maelstrom of the battle, Licah gave his orders clearly:

"Message to all units: 'I have activated our top-secret Tarsonis planetary defense. Civilians drop to lowest priority. All RS units, retreat to nav point of last-ditch space defense, and wait for my signal to jump to hyper point which will arrive encrypted to your comms within one minute. Remain in battle mode after departing system, and expect bogeys immediately. Titan will not take Tarsonis. I stake my life on it. Fleet Commander out.'"

A silence descended on the command center, punctuated only by several comms officers repeating verbatim the message intended for the various ground, air, and space units engaged in desperate battle against Titan's forces. Sensing a reluctance on the officers' parts to follow through on the ultimate consequence of this action, Licah quietly addressed the center:

"I know you have many decisions to make at this point, whether you follow my orders or not, in your own way. I leave you with these thoughts: first, do you honestly think we can win this war as it stands currently? Second, does Titan want to destroy a civilian population or the only fleet preventing its ultimate victory? Lastly, do you remember that Tarsonis hosts the largest population of the Mon Calamari outside their homeworld—the greatest war thinkers in the galaxy—and do you think we haven't made a plan for this contingency with them?"

Silence reigned briefly in the command center, as his top officers worked over what he had said. He hadn't yet breathed word of his ultimate plans . . .

Battle Results: All In

The overall battle for All In, Titan's initial attack on Tarsonis, resulted in a Stalemate.

XWA - Minor RS Victory.
Command Staff Directive - Minor RS Victory.
Writing - Stalemate.
Minis - RS Defeat.
Simming - RS Defeat.

Remember that you can personally affect the results of the Republic Shield operations by heading over to the Activities page and fulfilling the Objectives set out for defeating Titan and its fleet.

While activity looked strong in many areas, for instance Minis single-player, some of the objective criteria did not succeed. We encourage all officers to support the official objectives for the RS to advance in its mission.

Red Dagger Squadron led the way and earned Top Squadron for All In with 100 points. Congratulations to the squadron and Major Gavin "Skyhammer" Devearoux!

Battle Results: Two Minutes to Midnight

The overall battle for Two Minutes to Midnight, the lead-up to Titan's attack on Tarsonis, resulted in a Stalemate.

We had an excellent showing in two activities, and others could have used more participation.

Command Staff Directive: Major RS Victory! 18 reports submitted.
X-Wing Alliance: Major RS Victory! 7 reports submitted, almost all with mission complete.
Writing: Stalemate.
Simming: Stalemate.
X-Wing Miniatures: RS Defeat. Only 2 matches completed.
Minecraft: RS Defeat. No build objectives completed.

Overall, we had 22 active RSers who participated, along with 4 additional people who did RS activity that would have put them on the leaderboard, but either had reserve status or haven't joined yet. We had set our goal for this session at 25 active participants, so we got within the ballpark.

Despite excellent activity from two of our objectives, due to the performance on the others, we couldn't hold off Titan from approaching our home base.

Recognition

All In

MAJ Gavin Devearoux scored the most ITOD points and activity points in the past session, defeating ADM IronMan by an incredibly narrow margin on both accounts, and earned the RS Activity Top Gun and RS ITOD Top Gun. Congratulations, Skyhammer!

Members of Red Dagger Squadron earned the RS Top Squadron medal for their work in earning objective points this past session. Congratulations!
- MAJ Gavin Devearoux
- BGN Naesa Draw
- COL CrazyCarl
- LCM Ralis Solin
- ADM Tyrell "Spokes" Borran
- MGN Nicolai Ginofev.

ADM Lucas Benoit-Stark and CMDR Galen McGrath earned the Squadron Most Valuable Player for earning the most objective points in their squadron during the past session.

Two Minutes to Midnight

For leading all RSers in activity points and ITOD points, ADM Lucas "IronMan" Benoit-Stark will receive both the RS Activity Top Gun and RS ITOD Top Gun. Congratulations!

As the top squadron for this session, all participating members of Red Dagger Squadron will receive the RS Top Squadron award. Congratulations to the following:
- MAJ Gavin Devearoux
- BGN Naesa Draw
- MGN Koah
- COL CrazyCarl
- LCM Ralis Solin
- ADM Tyrell "Spokes" Borran
- MGN Nicolai Ginofev
- BGN Swifty Chapple
- MGN Kimiao Quinal
- VA Gavin Cantorph Kravis

For significant efforts taking the fight to the enemy, by putting up substantial gaming and simming duration points, the following officers will receive the Combat Citation:
- FA Cyrel Vandroth
- ADM Lucas "IronMan" Benoit-Stark
- MGN Kimiao Quinal
- MGN Koah
- CMDR Galen McGrath
- MAJ Gavin Devearoux

For reporting on at least five activities, the following officers will receive the Operational Development Pin:
- ADM Lucas "IronMan" Benoit-Stark
- CMDR Galen McGrath
- MAJ Gavin Devearoux

General Recognition

After extensive research into the service history of each RS officer, and the discovery that many officers have not yet received their appropriate annual service medals, the following officers will receive medals:
- 22 years: FA Cody Qel-Droma (Danny "David Lee Japan" Qatar)
- 21 years: FA Kaz Falcion
- 21 years: ADM Lucas "IronMan" Benoit-Stark
- 20 years: FA Cyrel Vandroth
- 20 years: RA Boid "Gambit" Reaves
- 20 years: VA Gavin Cantorph Kravis
- 16 years: FA Licah Fox
- 14 years: FA Joshua Hawkins
- 13 years: MGN Nicolai Ginofev
- 11 years: BGN Naesa Draw
- 11 years: BGN Swifty Chapple
- 11 years: COL Sarriah
- 9 years: MGN Kimiao Quinal
- 9 years: 1LT Osh Darkshatter
- 8 years: LCM Domeno
- 6 years: COL CrazyCarl
- 5 years: LCM Ralis Solin
- 5 years: CMDR Galen McGrath
- 4 years: LCM Yaihi'l "Fulliron" Beskar
- 2 years: 1LT coolcolt57
- 1 year: MAJ Gavin Devearoux

LJG Nom Zohlan received a promotion from Cadet to Lieutenant Junior Grade for his participation in X-Wing Miniatures.

1LT Ceradan Jade received an appointment to Diamond Squadron Executive Officer (XO).

BGN Naesa Draw, you have received a recommendation from FA Cyrel Vandroth for recognition for your work in showing up and getting others to participate in the RS's activities. I wholeheartedly agree with your recommender and award you your second Iridium Spire <=IS=>, which you have already received for your previous efforts in this area. Congratulations, Naesa!

MGN Nicolai Ginofev, you received a recommendation from ADM IronMan for your efforts in contributing to the fiction of the RS—in his words, your contributions "were really creative, massive, and fun." I hereby award you the Alvace Star <=AS=> for your excellent work, and note that you have received two of these already for previous work. Congratulations, Nico!

Major Gavin Devearoux, please step forward. Your squadron excelled this past session, and achieved the highest participation on the mission objectives. Above that, you personally have encouraged others to get involved and make the RS better. Your initiative has not gone unnoticed, and several members of the RS have recommended you to me for promotion. Congratulations, Lieutenant Commander Gavin Devearoux! Keep it up, and I imagine you will rise quickly.

Commander Galen McGrath, you put forth effort every week to help the RS achieve its goals, whether through tackling mission objectives yourself, or keeping the spirit of the club up through your various adventures shared with others. Fellow members greatly appreciate your contributions, and after nearly a year without this type of recognition, I hereby promote you. Congratulations, Lieutenant Colonel Galen McGrath!

Colonel 'Crazy'Carl, working in the background and providing the sole spark to keep the pilot side of the club active and thriving, you have also served as RSXO for several months, not an easy job for sure. You volunteered at a time when the RS had great need, and have willingly served without complaint, even when many situations needed dealing with. I have seen your dedication in the face of difficulty and especially acknowledge your willingness to help out wherever seemed best. I look forward to many successes to come, and in honor of your work in the past year, I hereby promote you to Brigadier General. Congratulations, CrazyCarl!

Announcements

FA Cyrel Vandroth has resigned as an RS Alderman. The RS has an opening at this position. The job duties involve making decisions at the highest level of the RS, with a seat on High Command. Contact Licah if interested.

The Historical Missions Reporter now includes every mission in the Mission Database, whereas it used to only contain RS missions. You can report on up to 30 missions this session to count towards the leaderboard.

We have slightly revised the activity policy for officers to remain in good standing in the Rebel Squadrons. At least once per session, all members should participate in any RS-related activity, and also visit the RS website while logged in. The activity could involve something as simple as logging into a mobile game in which the RS has a guild or squadron. If you don't have the time to report, send your screenshot to your squadron CO or the command staff, and we will get you all set, although we prefer you do the report yourself. Command staff will follow up with you towards the end of each session if it looks like we need something from you to stay active.

New members will now go directly into squadrons upon joining the RS, with the Academy going on hiatus. Squadron COs will oversee new members and communicate with them.

Objectives

The current session ends Wednesday, October 31, 2018, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (U.S.).

Simming (Role-Playing)

Individual Scoring: Based on the number of points earned by duration, simmers will receive a score of 1-10 based on individual participation lengths earned through simming or GMing a sim. (Highest receives 10, lowest receives 1, rest is divided accordingly). After participating in at least one sim, submit a report to this objective linking their activity profile with evidence they have participated in at least one sim (e.g. http://www.rebelsquadrons.org/test/member.php?pin=1865&date=46 ).

RS Defeat: Side projects and businesses have their net gains ( not gross ) halved until at least a minor RS victory in Simming is achieved.

Stalemate: Characters cannot upgrade for the first week unless the player posts on the forums or char sims explaining their efforts toward solving the issue.
Objective: At least 60 hours of total sims reported. (( 3 characters + 1 GM count as 4 hours per every hour they participate. ))

Minor RS Victory: ((During one week, players can choose a single side project or business that uses a 1d100 and count that roll as a 90. Players can only use this before they choose to roll.))
Objective: 90 Hours of sims reported, 5 hours of character sims reported AND regain control of three designated sections of New Morea.

Major RS Victory: (( Players will receive double CP and learning for the first week of the next session. ))
Objective: 150 hours of simming reported. At least 1 member successfully takes their aGM, GM, SGM tests OR at least 10 unique players participate in a sim during the session OR simmers regain majority control of New Morea.

Fiction (Writing)

With the latest sign of insolence of Task Force Republic Shield, Titan has put all their chips on the table and has launched an all-out assault on the crippled New Republic. This story and this fiction will be broken down on action on the ground and space.

On planet Tarsonis, an assault on multiple fronts forces the planet into disarray. An insurrection coupled with a frontal assault from Titan pummels the Republic Shield into submission. The RS, it’s political and military system, stands at the very brink of destruction. An exorbitant amount of loss of live plagues the inhabitants of the planet along with the scores of soldiers who have given their lives for the sake of the Republic. Now, Republic Shield’s command structure scrambles to avoid Titan’s forces, who are now planetside and are sweeping their way through New Morea to finish the damage that the insurgents began.

Meanwhile, space superiority continues its tug-of-war as Titan spreads its forces and strangles Republic Shield territory. Reports of damage throughout the sector and the amounting losses form fissures on the barrier of protection. Over the planet, dropship after dropship overwhelms the attention of their fighters while capital ships punish the dwindling forces in an all-out brawl. Attention shifts to the needs of preservation, and the RS now must weigh their choices in the midst of its greatest challenge.

Participant Overall Objective: In a fiction based story, RS forces will work together through the writing of fiction post. The objective is for people to work together and write their assault and ultimately do all they can to preserve the survival of the RS as we know it. Because of the stalemate of battles, Titan has made a fair push on New Morea. Already in shambles from the insurrection, the city is unsafe, and Titan’s push is to cripple the command structure of the RS’ capital.

In space, your focus will be dispelling the enemy fighters, preventing any more dropships from getting through the planet, and taking out some of the capital ships that are there. Considering the forces or lack thereof, it may prove difficult to do this effectively, but Rebel innovation and intuition may prove useful.

On the ground, your main focus should be working your way to the command center and quite possibly the medbay, dealing with any threats along the way. Danger looms over the higher command structure in the RS. If Titan were to eliminate the power structure, then it would further split the cavernous divide within and create more dissension and distrust in the Republic Shield.


Individual Scoring: IronMan will once again GM the story. Scoring will take place based on the number of post per each session. If that requirement is met, then the total words from posts will be tallied. Extra points will be given for joint posts or creative/witty actions, and whether or not objectives have been landed. (Joint posts will share the number of words in the posts). Bonus points will be factored in for creativity, humor, and joint posts among peers.

RS Defeat:The command structure of Task Force Republic Shield is eliminated, creating dissent among its social structure and fueling more instability on New Morea and across Tarsonis. In space, Titan wipes out about 75% of RS forces.

Stalemate: The command structure of Task Force Republic Shield is preserved, but its personnel is forced to evacuate the planet. New Morea’s government structure loses stability, and is prone to several groups plotting to overtake control. Titan gains control of the city. Length of recovery is doubled. In space, Titan is beat back, but 50% of RS forces.
Objective: At least 4 unique post will take place for each phase of the thread (16 total). Joint post between several individuals will count as multiple post depending on the number in said post.

Minor RS Victory:The command structure of Task Force Republic Shield remains intact and remains planetside. New Morea’s New Republic government structure gains stability while confidence in the RS slightly increases. Normal length of recovery from the aftermath of Titan. 25% of the forces in space are lost.
Objective: Stalemate objectives. In addition, at least one (1) joint post must take place AND/OR at least two (3) post must be over 500 words per each phase.

Major RS Victory: The command structure of Task Force Republic Shield not only remains intact, but also secures RS influence in the city, restoring a significant number of confidence to the citizens of New Morea. Titan officers are captured and brought in for interrogation. Threats of any insurgencies are stifled and eliminated. New Morea recovery in rapid time. Space maintains its forces.
Objective: Stalemate objectives. In addition, one (2) joint post must take place AND/OR one (2) post must be over 1,000 words per each phase.


X-Wing Miniatures (Tabletop Games and Tabletop Emulators)

Fictional Setting: Titan has pounded the Republic Shield to its breaking point. Tarsonis is lost, and elements of the RS's forces are scattered and retreating, attempting to regroup and hold their ground. Your wingmen and squadmates are gone. It's time to stop the bleeding.

Tabletop Games (X-Wing Miniatures, Armada, Imperial Assault, Legion, etc.) - Titan has arrived at our doorstep. It’s time to make them pay for every inch or we may not be here tomorrow.

Instructions - Members of the Rebel Squadrons can submit reports for any of the various Star Wars tabletop games or their emulators (Vassal, Tabletop Simulator, Fly Casual, etc.). If applicable, RSers that submit a report of a single player match vs. an AI opponent (e.g., via Fly Casual) will receive 1 point per reported match. RSers that play a live or online match against a non-RSer will receive 3 points. RSers that report matches against other RSers will receive 3 points per reported match plus 2 points extra to the winning RSer (5 max). The end results will be tallied and scaled to a 10-point scale.

All reports must include proof of playing matches via screenshots or photos.

Individual Scoring: End of session points will be scaled across a 10-point scale and winners ranked.

RS Defeat: 1 or less match averaged per week during the session (across single player, multiplayer, etc.) Fictional Outcome: Titan pressed forward with little resistance; RS Forces retreating from Tarsonis are annihilated.

Stalemate: 2 matches averaged per week (across single player, multiplayer, etc.) throughout the duration of the session, with at least one (1) match averaged per week between RSers. Fictional Outcome: Titan fails to completely smash all RS forces. Small pockets of strong though retreating resistance remain; One third of forces retreating Tarsonis remain scattered but at fighting capacity.

Minor RS Victory: 3 matches averaged per week (across single player, multiplayer, etc.) throughout the duration of the session, with at least 1 match averaged per week between RSers AND at least three (3) separate and distinct game played (e.g., Legion, X-Wing Minis, Armada or Imperial Assault, Destiny, X-Wing Minis, etc.). Fictional Outcome: Half the RS forces fleeing Tarsonis remain despite Titan's best efforts. They have managed to organize and retain some key members of leadership. They will be a thorn in Titan's side going forward.

Major RS Victory: 4 matches averaged per week (across single player, multiplayer, etc.) throughout the duration of the session, with at least 2 matches averaged per week between RSers AND at least 3 separate and distinct games played (e.g., Legion, X-Wing Minis, Armada or Imperial Assault, Destiny, X-Wing Minis, etc.). Fictional Outcome. Despite Titan's best attempts, 75% of the RS's retreating forces and a large portion of its leadership remain intact and are reorganizing quickly to strike back at Titan and stave off the bleeding.

Fleet Commander's Objective

The coming retreat from Tarsonis will split the fleet in many directions. Choose your direction as best you can.

—

Report on anything going on that you have done with the Rebel Squadrons. Submit your reports using any applicable previous report done this session on an objective or using the generic reporter. Examples:

http://rebelsquadrons.org/multiplayer/mp_nc_match?id=4018
http://rebelsquadrons.org/activities/objective?id=141

—

RS Defeat: Fewer than 12 members report.

Stalemate: 12-18 members report.

RS Minor Victory: 19+ members report.

RS Major Victory: 29+ members report.

—

":)
Fleet Admiral Licah Fox
Rebel Squadrons Fleet Commander
licahfox@gmail.com